Gatescombe Early Origins

The surname Gatescombe was first found in Sussex, where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1273 when Matilda de Gatecumb held estates in that county.

Gatescombe Spelling Variations

Gatescombe Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Gatescombe include Gattiscombe, Gatcomb, Gatecombe, Gatcome, Gatecomb, Gatecome, Gatcumb, Gatcumbe, Gatecumb, Gatecumbe, Gatescombe, Gatescomb, Gatescome, Gattiscomb, Gattiscome, Gatiscomb and many more.

Gatescombe Early History

Gatescombe Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gatescombe research. Another 261 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1290 and 1586 are included under the topic Early Gatescombe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gatescombe Early Notables (pre 1700)

Gatescombe Early Notables (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Gatescombe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Gatescombe were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Francis Gatcomb, who settled in New England in 1721; Thomas Gatcombe, who came to America in 1730; and Ernest Edwin Gatcomb, who settled in California in 1890..

Skordas, Guest. Ed. The Early Settlers of Maryland an Index to Names or Immigrants Complied from Records of Land Patents 1633-1680 in the Hall of Records Annapolis, Maryland. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1968. Print.

Bede, The Venerable. Historia Ecclesiatica Gentis Anglorum (The Ecclesiastical History Of the English People). Available through Internet Medieval Sourcebook the Fordham University Centre for Medieval Studies. Print.

Fairbairn. Fairbain's book of Crests of the Families of Great Britain and Ireland, 4th Edition 2 volumes in one. Baltimore: Heraldic Book Company, 1968. Print.

Shirley, Evelyn Philip. Noble and Gentle Men of England Or Notes Touching The Arms and Descendants of the Ancient Knightley and Gentle Houses of England Arranged in their Respective Counties 3rd Edition. Westminster: John Bowyer Nichols and Sons, 1866. Print.

The Gatescombe Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Gatescombe Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.